sleeper

I'm here becuase AFD is one of the best albums ever, without Slash Axl Duff Adler Izzy meeting up it would never exist.

Not happening!

I was told things started to sound like AC/DC

Now I would love to hear that music!

You got that right!

Good for DJ. He's gonna release his own Guns album. No vocals or anything, but DJ is on it.

DJ is a real hard working fellow!

Slash with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators

They are already booked in South America in November. What about Wayne Newton?

Thanks Marc!

The article itself has nothing new. But at the end a list is provided of what Slash will talk about during interviews now.

Strict limits apply for a chat with Slash

By Scott Kara

These days there are a number of questions that are off limits when talking to Slash. Any mention of Axl Rose - the volatile and unhinged frontman of his old band Guns N' Roses - is strictly prohibited.

As is bringing up the possibility of a Gunners' reunion and any queries about infamous war stories from the deviant days of the late 80s and early 90s when Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion I & II made Guns N' Roses the most dangerous band around.

The thing is, TimeOut has talked to Slash four times in the past five years - once in 2007 when his other old band Velvet Revolver were still going and twice in 2010, for his debut solo album and before his performance at the G-Taranaki guitar festival - and he'd never been this demanding.

In fact, he'd been open and obliging. "It's about drugs and alcohol and trying to figure out whether you can sustain it. It's about the person I was less than four years ago," he said of the boozy drugs anthem Doctor Alibi he wrote with his mate Lemmy from Motorhead in 2010.

Also during that interview he vented about the firing of Velvet Revolver's troubled frontman Scott Weiland in 2008. "[it] was very exhausting dealing with him and his shit."

It was after this incident Slash went solo and, not to sound too grand, it ended up being a life-changing decision for one of modern rock's most influential guitarists.

"Just being on my own has been really cathartic because it put everything in my lap," he says on the phone from Boston ahead of two New Zealand concerts this weekend.

"Since I grabbed the reins and took off on my own I have realised you don't need confrontation and volatility to make rock'n'roll work. It's about playing music and having fun," he says with a chuckle.

And with an attitude like that you can forgive a modern day guitar god's request for a few no-go questions.

Still, it seems he's pretty open to talking about most things. He doesn't mention them by name but Rose and Weiland come up ("I've always been in a band where there was a democracy, which was great, but there was always one guy who was really difficult."), his dad, who is his harshest critic, always pops up in conversation (apparently his new album Apocalyptic Love has been a constant on the car stereo of Slash snr), and he talks a lot about Guns N' Roses because he still plays a number of the band's songs at concerts.

"Paradise City and Sweet Child O' Mine are songs I brought into the set when we first started touring. And there are a lot of songs that I had a major part in writing that we're not doing, but all the songs we are doing I had a major part in writing.

"But there really is no forethought [about which songs they play]. First off it has to be one that I enjoy playing. If it's fun to play, that's basically the criteria."

So when Slash and his band play Vector Arena tomorrow night you will hear Gunners' classics Paradise City, Sweet Child O Mine and Mr Brownstone, and it's likely they will also play the rip roaring Nightrain, among others.

"Nightrain just works. There is no other song that drives like Nightrain," he says gleefully.

There will be no November Rain ("Even though I did all those guitar parts I didn't bring the song to the table so I have no interest in doing songs like that.") and Welcome to the Jungle is unlikely because "we haven't played it for a long time".

"That's such a Guns N' Roses standard and it's one of those songs we do every once in a while and everybody goes crazy. But really, it's for the fun of it."

Despite his reminiscing, it's songs from his solo career that make up the bulk of the set.

And though he had a hoot recording his debut, Slash, on which he got together a star-studded line-up of guest vocalists including everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Iggy Pop to pop stars Fergie (Black Eyed Peas) and Adam Levine of Maroon 5, you get the feeling this year's follow up, Apocalyptic Love, is even more satisfying.

With the Conspirators behind him, a band made up of singer Myles Kennedy (of heavy rockers Alter Bridge), drummer Brent Fitz and bassist Todd Kerns, he's come up with a typically riff-laden, raging rock record.

There's the rugged, grunty album highlight Halo, which they have been opening concerts with recently (followed by Nightrain), the stomp and boogie of Shots Fired, and Standing in the Sun which manages to move from a grunge dirge to soaring epic.

"It's been a real blessing," he says of working with Kennedy and the Conspirators. "I had gotten so used to such a tumultuous reality professionally that I was really inexperienced working in a situation where everybody just wants to get along and have a good time.

"It takes a lot of the unnecessary bullshit out of the experience - and I work harder now than I have ever in my career. But at the same time it's really enjoyable because everybody's on the same page and we don't want to bog ourselves down with distractions and we just focus on the music.

"You know," he says, slipping in to reflective mode, "when I started doing this it was a dream come true and I still look at it that way, but the last few years have been great because I've been doing exactly what it is I like to do and not having too much hassle doing it."

THE NO GO AREAS WHEN TALKING TO SLASH...

* Guns N' Roses is a topic that Slash can briefly touch on.

* You can briefly discuss the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame Induction - but only to the extent of the honour of that.

* You can't talk about the ceremony itself and Axl not showing up and their performance etc.

* No questions about Axl whatsoever.

* No questions about a possible Guns N' Roses reunion.

* No "on the road" stories or historic infamous type stories based around Guns N' Roses.

* There has to be a focus on what he's doing now and forthcoming events/plans.

Who: Slash

When & where: Vector Arena, Auckland, tomorrow night; CBS Arena, Christchurch, Sunday.

Latest album: Apocalyptic Love - Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.

Also listen to: Slash (2010); Velvet Revolver - Contraband (2004); Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction (1988), Use Your Illusion I & II. (1991)

source

http://nzherald.co.nz

I don't have anything against DJ, he is a ok musican and a great business man. But comparing him to Slash is way off. Jimmy had to tell the audience who DJ was, he had to tell them DJ is a guitarist for GNR. When Slash was on his show he said "Ladies and Gentlemen Slash!"

After all the ups and downs and problems with shifty managers, I'm glad that Axl has finally put people he can trust in charge of the band. It's taken us along time to get to this point, but I have a really good, strong feeling that we are about to enter the the most productive, prolific period in Axl's career. He's granting interviews, and talking to fans and appearing in national media again, and seeming happy, and even talking up the next release. All while putting on the most blistering, ass-kicking live tour since Use Your Illusion. This can't be a coincidence. This has to all be product of effective, professional management that's sensitive to Axl's needs and supportive of his goals. I was especially encouraged to read about how Beta's going to help clear the way for a new album by dealing with the record label for Axl. Holy shit. That is just what the doctor ordered. She may be the one person tough enough to crack a few heads down at the greedy record company office and get Axl what he needs to put the next album out.

Usually, I would never, ever under any circumstances support anyone giving Axl an ultimatum like she did when she told Axl she would quit working with him if he didn't let her and her family be the managers. One, I do not think anyone should ever tell Axl Rose what he has to do. But also because I was a little worried to hear Beta threaten to leave Axl because we know how unique and special their relationship has been, and even if she was only saying that to motivate him to let her be the manager, it still seems a little extreme consdiering how much we know Axl loves and needs her. Nobody wants to lose their 'mother,' even if it's not his mother by blood, but the "Mother of the Band." But it worked, and now Axl for once has a Manager that he can trust completely and we can also be absoluitely sure that she will never try and get him to reunite with the old band because she, of all people, understands how hurtful they have been.

We've had some great times and some dark times with this band. But now that we've finally got Beta and people we can trust at the wheel, I really feel like we're about to enter the "Golden Years" of Guns N' Roses.

it's kind of funny hearing Axl whine about his band's poor mangement in the past when he was the one who orchestrated everything and was responsible for hiring them in the 1st place - it's like, don't blame me, blame the manager, I'm only the guy who hired him

It is always someone elses fault! The manager, record company, the media. Now that Beta is the manager Axl has lost one of his favorite excuses.

Celebrate AFD but keep your Slash t-shirts at home.

I won't be surprised if Vince Neil heckles Axl.

LOL Izzy should make sure if he shows he brings a security guard with him! Of course that will cost Axl more money!

I think it's quite obvious this is all for money, not merely Guns N' Roses' image. If he really cared about the image he would do a settlement out of court.

...I think the opposite is true. If he just settled that's a garuanteed payday. This way he's gambling $20 million, just to prove a point.

A trial is Axl's best chance to win any thing. The problem is if he wins, Activision will keep him in various appeals courts for years. If he loses Activision could go after him for the money they spent on their defense. In any case Axl is going to need all of his Vegas money!

"So, tell me Ron. How did you come up with the Welcome To The Jungle riff? Please, the world wants to know."

Tell us Ron of some of your experiences while writing that song. What were you and the band doing at that time?

That "menu" is actually his enemies list.

Slash is in LA for a few days. Axl better find a place and hide!

People consider Hard Rock "off the beaten path", but I wonder if they're going to have some GNR themed exhibit that month.

That would be interesting. I wonder how Axl will handle having Slash's old jean jacket and tophat in a display case as a promotional tool.

Axl needs to work on his arms. Maybe use some weights to build them up.

Duff announced that Loaded was doing some opening dates for Alice Cooper and Alice is touring in November. So that might keep Duff form playing any dates with Axl in Vegas.

No!

I voted for the Conspirators to stick together. That is what is going to happen anyway. Slash and Myles are already working on the next album. I miss VR, but Slash is done with it.

after the "band" releases their second, third, and maybe even 4th album, do you think we will see a 'greatest hits' album from NuGNR?

Guns N' Roses last performance was in Buenos Aires, Argentina July 17, 1993

This!

The band might pull out some songs from the UYI albums but that is as close to new as it will get.

Izzy Stradlin was the heart and soul of GNR and it was never going to work without him

True.

True X 2

She got a nice little jab in there at Slash didn't she? Great to know what I already suspected...

What are you on?? It's well documented Slash was on drugs and wanted to do things ''old school'' and axl wanted to take gnr to a higher level..chill with ur axl hate/bias for 30 seconds bro

I'm so glad Axl got the band to a higher level!

The whole "I'm shy, hence the hat" line is BS. In the early 90's, almost in every interview he was without a hat. Even during most shows, the hat only came out occasionally. IMO, he's wearing the hat now because he's losing his hair. You hardly EVER see him without it now. I think it's pretty obvious. It's the same thing with Axl. Starting around 1993, Axl never went without a bandana and/or hat and now he never goes without.

Personally, I think it's lame. I subscribe to the Bruce Willis method of dealing with MPB. But, whatever.

In the 90's and up until 2006/07 the herion and the JD masked the shyness for him. He also did not wear shades all the time in the 90's and he does now.

Exactly what I was going to say but decided to post a video of Slash without the hat in 2011. Also, in the early 90's the hat was present on more shows than he thinks.

Yes it was.

The whole "I'm shy, hence the hat" line is BS. In the early 90's, almost in every interview he was without a hat. Even during most shows, the hat only came out occasionally. IMO, he's wearing the hat now because he's losing his hair. You hardly EVER see him without it now. I think it's pretty obvious. It's the same thing with Axl. Starting around 1993, Axl never went without a bandana and/or hat and now he never goes without.

Personally, I think it's lame. I subscribe to the Bruce Willis method of dealing with MPB. But, whatever.

In the 90's and up until 2006/07 the herion and the JD masked the shyness for him. He also did not wear shades all the time in the 90's and he does now.